Crime Pays

Judges for a debut mystery-writing contest sponsored by Minotaur Books and the Private Eye Writers of America chose Alaric Hunt as the winner, unaware that he had been in a South Carolina prison for the past 25 years serving a life sentence for murder. The award comes with a $10,000 advance and a guaranteed publishing contract. Working at the prison library in a maximum-security facility, Mr. Hunt hasn’t seen the outside world since the age of 19, and used episodes of Law & Order to describe the New York setting of his novel Cuts Through the Bone. Author S.J. Rozan, who served as a judge, said: “The manuscript felt very accomplished. He clearly knew how to tell a story. The language and dialogue were fantastic.” Read more of this NPR story here.